The Yorktown crowd was nervous. With a three-point difference, it seemed that Hendrick Hudson would win the title of 2024 League 2B Indoor Track and Field Champions. But one event had not been scored yet: boys high jump. Murmurs vibrate the air with anticipation as everyone crowds around a few phones, the constant refreshing yielding no results.
The night had been an eventful one, with many great accomplishments. Brian White, Joseph Carucci, and Michael Peralta had previously qualified for the 55m dash finals, achieving 1st, 2nd, and 8th respectively. Brian White, Michael Ryan, and Nick Ducey had also qualified for the 55m hurdles finals, achieving more stellar results with 1st, 3rd, and 5th place respectively. In the 300m run, Tristen Duranti finished 3rd, and Marcello Diaz ran his way into 5th place during the 600m event. Marcello Silvestro went for gold and got it during the 1000m run. Yorktown had strong support for a high placement in the league with its track events.
Further bolstering this lead were the field events, with Joseph Carucci and Nicholas Erickson achieving 2nd and 3rd in the boys’ long jump, Jake Wilson, Raffaele Prospero, Alex Sayegh, and Daniel Tangredi dominating the podium with 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th during the boys’ shot put, Nicholas Erickson with a strong 4th place finish from the boys’ triple jump, and to top it all off, Jake Wilson, Daniel Tangredi, and Jack Shaw all placed in the top of the weight throw, all medaling with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places.
Then it was off to the relays. The boys’ team started off strong, winning 1st place in the 4x200m relay. But then, Hendrick Hudson took the lead in the 4x400m and 4x800m events, bumping Yorktown down to 2nd place by three points in terms of placement.
And that brings us back to the current predicament, the high jump scores. As the team kept refreshing, the scores remained the same. “No new updates since 9:53PM,” the site declared. Tensions ran high.
“WE WON!” The shout echoed across the hall. “We did?” I showed my screen to the rest of the team. With a score of 82, Yorktown Heights was in first place, beating out Hendrick Hudson by, you guessed it, a single point.
I don’t remember too clearly what happened after, but I do remember it was chaotic, full of celebratory screaming and jumping, ecstasy and joy was in the air. The team had done it, winning their first ever League Championship title.
It was a nail-biter to the end. Gabriel Iavarone, Sean Ryan, and Michael Peralta came in with a satisfying finish, placing 2nd, 4th, and 5th in the high jump event, giving Yorktown the edge they needed to win. It was an ecstatic conclusion to the long meet, with Coaches Smitty, Korn, and Daria all very proud of the team for their performance.
Congratulations to the 2024 Yorktown Indoor Track and Field team for their win, and may this title mark the first of many accomplishments.
